Employees of Market Basket have been protesting for nearly five weeks demanding the reinstatement of ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, who was fired in June.

Benjamin Paulin The Enterprise @benpaulin_ENT

WEST BRIDGEWATER – A delivery truck backed up to a loading dock in the back of the Market Basket in West Bridgewater Thursday morning.Parked close by were two West Bridgewater police cruisers and an SUV with two men inside hired as a private security detail.

Daniel Harnden, an assistant manager and 20-year employee of the grocery chain, said the heightened security was there in light of an incident last Friday at the Market Basket headquarters in Tewksbury where a temporary truck driver allegedly attacked a group of protesters with a hammer in his hand.

Employees of Market Basket have been protesting for nearly five weeks demanding the reinstatement of ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, who was fired in June.

“After what happened at the main office last week, we’re looking at it in a different light,” Harnden said. “They (the police) were called at our discretion. We wanted some additional security down here to assist with our associates.”

Thursday was the first time the West Bridgewater store has received a delivery since the incident in Tewksbury, Aug. 15.

There was no reason to think something similar to what happened in Tewksbury might happen in West Bridgewater, Harnden said, and the police were called merely as a precaution.

The security company, Phillips Group Inc., however, has been in place for weeks since being hired by Market Basket executives when the labor dispute began.

Their presence is something some store managers see as unnecessary and money that could go Market Basket employees who haven’t worked in weeks.

“There’s no need for them to be here. To me it’s all a waste of money,” said Gary Vandette, an assistant manager at the Market Basket in Raynham. He has been with the company for 28 years.

Phillips Group Inc. offers private investigative services, labor dispute security, personal protection and other services, according to its website. A phone call on Thursday for comment about being hired by Market Basket was not returned.

Vandette said Phillips employees oversee all deliveries and shipments coming in and out of their stores.

“I had them here today. They get out of the car and make sure the driver doesn’t get hurt. They’re acting like we’re going to kill the guy. It absolutely makes no sense,” Vandette said. “We’re not going to attack anybody.”

“Maybe some problems were anticipated, and, in a roundabout way, I think they would probably say they’re for our safety,” said Connors, a 36-year employee of the company. “We have a small SUV with a couple security people in it and they just camp out. When the last delivery goes, they’re gone.”

He said they aren’t cost-effective but, “if them being around has prevented an incident, then maybe it’s a good thing.”

The employees said Friday may be a big day in finding out what the future holds for the supermarket chain.

“I’m very hopeful that this will be resolved,” Harden said.

“We’re hearing that there’s hopefully some resolution around the corner,” Connors said. “The sooner we can get back to business as usual, the happier everybody will be.”